André Galvão facts for kids

Quick facts for kids André Luiz Leite Galvão
André Galvão setting up a choke on his opponent at the 2008 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Born	(1982-09-29) September 29, 1982 (age 42) São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil
Other names	Deco
Residence	San Diego, California, United States
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division	Welterweight
Reach	71.5 in (182 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	San Diego, California, United States
Team	Atos Jiu-Jitsu (2008-present) Team Brasa (2007–2008) TT jiujitsu (2003–2006)
Rank	4th deg. BJJ black belt Judo black belt
Years active	1996 – present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	7
Wins	5
By knockout	1
By submission	3
By decision	1
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By decision	1
Medal record Submission wrestling ADCC World Championship Bronze 2007 -77 kg Bronze 2007 Absolute Silver 2009 -88 kg Gold 2011 -88 kg Gold 2011 Absolute ADCC South American Championship Gold 2007 -77 kg Gold 2009 -88 kg Brazilian jiu-jitsu IBJJF World Championship Gold 2017 -88 kg (black) Gold 2016 -94 kg (black) Gold 2014 -94 kg (black) Bronze 2013 -88 kg (black) Gold 2008 -88 kg (black) Bronze 2008 Absolute (black) Silver 2007 -82 kg (black) Silver 2006 -82 kg (black) Gold 2005 -82 kg (black) Gold 2004 -82 kg (brown) Gold 2004 Absolute (brown) Gold 2003 -82 kg (purple) Gold 2003 Absolute (purple) Gold 2002 -82 kg (blue) Silver 2001 -82 kg (blue) IBJJF Pan American Championships Gold 2014 Absolute (black) Gold 2014 Ultra heavy (black) Silver 2013 Absolute (black) Gold 2013 Medium heavy (black) Gold 2011 Medium heavy (black) Gold 2008 Medium heavy (black) Gold 2008 Absolute (black) Gold 2006 Middleweight (black) Gold 2005 Middleweight (black) Gold 2005 Absolute (black) Gold 2004 Middleweight (brown) Gold 2004 Absolute (brown) World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Gold 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE -88kg Bronze 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE Absolute Gold 2013 Abu Dhabi, UAE -88kg Gold 2012 Abu Dhabi, UAE -88kg Silver 2012 Abu Dhabi, UAE Absolute

André Luiz Leite Galvão is a famous Brazilian grappler and former professional mixed martial artist. He was born on September 29, 1982. André is a highly skilled athlete with a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and a black belt in judo.

He is known as one of the most successful BJJ athletes ever. He has won many big international tournaments multiple times. André is also a co-founder and head coach of Atos Jiu Jitsu. This is one of the best grappling teams in the world. He has coached many world champions.

In 2022, André Galvão was honored by being added to the IBJJF Hall of Fame and the ADCC Hall of Fame. This means he is recognized as one of the greatest in the sport.

André Galvão's Grappling Career

André Galvão has achieved amazing success in submission wrestling, which is a type of grappling where you try to make your opponent give up. He won the 2011 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in both his weight class and the open weight division. He also won the Brazilian National Championship, World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and Pan American Championships many times.

In 2007, he took third place at the ADCC World Championship in two different categories. Even though he was very successful, André shared that he only started learning Wrestling as an adult. This was after he moved to America in 2008.

Key Grappling Achievements

André continued to shine in grappling. In 2009, he earned second place at the ADCC World Championship in Spain. He had an outstanding year in 2011. First, he won the Ultimate Absolute NYC tournament. He beat strong opponents like Antonio Braga Neto and Vinny Magalhaes.

Later in 2011, at the ADCC World Championship, André won gold medals. He won in both the -88 kg weight class and the absolute (open) weight divisions. He defeated tough fighters like Rousimar Palhares and Pablo Popovitch in the finals.

He also won several "Superfight" matches. In 2013, he beat Braulio Estima by a rear naked choke. In 2014, he defeated Chael Sonnen using the same move. He also won against Roberto Abreu in 2015 and Claudio Calasans in 2017. In 2019, he beat Felipe Pena by points.

Hall of Fame and Recent Matches

In November 2021, André Galvão was inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame. This was because he was the longest-serving superfight champion and one of the most decorated competitors.

In 2022, André returned to defend his ADCC superfight title. However, he lost to Gordon Ryan by a rear-naked choke. This was a big moment in the grappling world.

André Galvão's Mixed Martial Arts Career

André Galvão started his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2008. MMA combines different fighting styles. In 2009, he joined a tournament called DREAM's Welterweight Tournament.

After the tournament, André fought in another promotion called Strikeforce. He had a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in Strikeforce before he decided to retire from MMA.

Even after being retired from MMA for over ten years, André announced in late 2020 that he was thinking about returning to professional MMA. In November 2021, he signed a contract with ONE Championship. He had a grappling match against Reinier de Ridder in March 2022. The match ended in a draw after 12 minutes, with neither fighter getting a submission.

Published Works

André Galvão wrote a book called Drill to Win: One Year to Better Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This book helps people learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission wrestling. It teaches about proper diet, exercises, and technical drills.

See also

• List of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners
• List of current ONE fighters